Ward calls time on his tennis career

Northampton tennis ace Alex Ward has decided to call time on his playing career.

The 28-year-old, who reached a career high of 242 in 2016, is currently ranked 318 in the world.

But after losing to Thai-Son Kwiatkowski at an event in Vancouver last month, he has decided the time is right to retire.

Ward could not make it to Wimbledon this year after losing in the second qualifying round to Alex Bolt.

But he does at least finish with some fond memories of playing at the famous Championships, having played there as recently at 2017, when he lost to fellow Brit Kyle Edmund in four sets in the first round.

And Ward is now ready for his next chapter.

He posted on Instagram: “After much thought and deliberation I have decided to call time on my playing career.

“I have loved playing this great sport professionally for over 10 years and feel extremely lucky to have done so.

“Big thanks to @britishtennis @adintennisacademy and everybody that has supported me over the years for enabling a dream to become a reality.